Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Vin Troisi had to wonder what in the world he was doing wrong.

After all, the Rutgers-Newark senior first baseman had a solid sophomore campaign, batting .296 with 34 hits, 16 RBI and 26 runs scored. Troisi also drew a team-high 24 walks to post a solid .438 on base percentage.

Instead of moving forward a year ago, Troisi took a major step backwards, epitomizing the offensive struggles that strangled the Scarlet Raiders for the entire 2013 season. Troisi managed to hit just .158 with just 15 hits and 10 RBI.

Troisi was asked what happened from one year to the next.

“I would have to say it was my work ethic,” Troisi said. “I took it all for granted. I thought it came easy and I didn’t have to work for it. I got complacent. My mind just wasn’t in the right place.”

Rutgers-Newark head baseball coach Mark Rizzi was just as dumbfounded as his first baseman was about the season-long slump.

“He had such a good sophomore year and last year, he struggled,” Rizzi said. “I think he just started to press too much and it piled on, game after game. He just couldn’t get back to his old self. He always looked like he was hitting flat footed. I think he was in total shock how bad things got, both for him and the team.”

Needless to say, the slump played on Troisi’s psyche in the worst way.

“I was trying to step up and help the team and failed,” Troisi said. “When the team was struggling as much as we were, you tend to try to do too much. It was definitely frustrating. I wasn’t the player I knew I could be.”

Troisi had a fine high school career at Hackensack High, then went to Southern New Hampshire on a baseball scholarship.

Things didn’t exactly work out well for Troisi in northern New England.

“I sat the bench there and I just wasn’t happy,” Troisi said. “It was a big culture shock for me being there in a small town and I was from New Jersey. I was 4 ½ hours away from home. No one ever heard of Hackensack up there. There was no reason for me to stay at a school I didn’t like.”

Troisi remembered that Rizzi and assistant coach Adam DeLorenzo recruited Troisi out of high school.

“I gave Coach Rizzi a call and told him that thing weren’t going well at Southern New Hampshire,” Troisi said. “It was a no-brainer for me. I was going to get a good education. I liked the baseball program and I was going to get a chance to play right away.”

Troisi knew that he wanted to major in finance in college and Rutgers has its famed School of Business located in Newark.

“It made sense for me to get a Rutgers degree.”

And Troisi enjoyed all that success during his first year with the Scarlet Raiders. Troisi played a flawless defensive first base, so he was a perfect fit from the outset.

It all came crashing down last season.

However, Rizzi was confident that Troisi was going to be able to put the lost year behind him.

“I think I looked at it like he was getting a second chance,” Rizzi said. “It was a new year, so that could only help his confidence. He works so hard and he wants to be good. We have a couple of young guys in the infield, so we needed Vin to provide leadership. He does that just by the way he plays.”

Rizzi said that Scarlet Raiders batting coach Joel Burgos worked extensively with Troisi in the offseason.

“Vin crouches a little at the plate, but we thought he might be crouching too much,” Rizzi said. “We weren’t necessarily looking for power, but the crouching took away from any power he had. Joel also talked to Vin about being too patient at the plate. We were confident that he could put the ball in play more.”

Rizzi is convinced that 2013 was an aberration.

“Last year was uncharacteristic of him,” Rizzi said. “He’s a much better hitter than what he showed last year. He’s one of the key guys who we need to rebound in order for us to be successful this year. We’re hoping that his senior year will be the best. I always thought he just needed a 3-for-3 game to get him going in the right direction last year, but that never came.”

The Scarlet Raiders have only played four games this season, but Troisi feels it’s a totally new ball game.

“I’m definitely working harder,” Troisi said. “I was in the batting cage every day. I put in the work in the weight room. I already feel 100 times better than I did last year. I’ve matured a lot. I have more of a professional approach. I have a lot of confidence. I was able to knock the rust off from last year and I’m hitting line drives everywhere. It’s been a nice confidence booster for me. I know the player I can be. I was able to get the butterflies out early in the season.”

Rizzi said that he feels comfortable batting Troisi in the No. 2 position in the lineup, but Troisi is willing to bat anywhere.

“I do like knowing that Coach Rizzi has confidence in me batting second,” Troisi said. “It’s something that you have to earn. But I’m 100 percent all in wherever he needs me.”

Troisi already has his future completely mapped out. Upon graduation later this year, Troisi will take a position with American International Group (AIG), the highly respected insurance and investment firm.

“I did an internship with them last summer and I worked part-time during the fall and winter,” Troisi said. “It was tough in the fall, with fall baseball and then commuting to Manhattan for work. There was a lot of running around. I think I spent more time in the subway than I did in the office. But I’m very excited about it.”

Troisi will begin working in the human resources department of AIG, with hope of switching to finance later on.

“It has given me a peace of mind, knowing I have a job lined up already,” Troisi said. “I can’t wait.”

For now, Troisi would love to get the baseball season in full swing. The brutal winter months have kept the Scarlet Raiders off the diamond and in the gym.

“It’s been rough,” Troisi said. “We loosened things up a little the other day, playing a game of wiffle ball. It was good to change things up a little. There’s only so much we can do playing baseball on the gym floor and hitting in the cage.”

When the weather warms, the mounds of snow melt and the Scarlet Raiders can finally get back on the field, Rizzi is certain that he’ll see the Vin Troisi of old and not the version who struggled so much last year.

“Everything just took such a toll on him last year,” Rizzi said. “He’s a great kid, a very smart kid with a good career lined up. He’s going to be successful in whatever he does. We expect a lot from him this year in terms of production and I think Vin does too. I know it’s there in him.”